1. Field
A heat exchanger assembly, a refrigerator, and a method of controlling a refrigerator are disclosed herein.
2. Background
A heat exchanger may used in a refrigerator, as one component of a refrigeration cycle. The heat exchanger may include a refrigerant tube, in which a refrigerant may flow, and a heat exchange fin coupled to the refrigerant tube so that the refrigerant is heat-exchanged with external air. The heat exchange fin may be coupled to the refrigerant tube to increase a heat exchange area between the refrigerant and the external air.
The heat exchanger may function as a condenser or an evaporator. When the heat exchanger functions as a condenser, a high-pressure refrigerant compressed by a compressor may flow into the refrigerant tube and be heat-exchanged (heat dissipation) with external air, thereby being condensed. The condenser may be disposed in a machine room of the refrigerator.
On the other hand, when the heat exchanger functions as an evaporator, a low-pressure refrigerant may flow into the refrigerant tube and be heat-exchanged (heat absorption) with external air, thereby being evaporated. The evaporator may be disposed adjacent to a cooling compartment to form a low-temperature atmosphere, that is, a refrigerating compartment or freezing compartment to supply cold air into the cooling compartment.
A temperature sensor to detect a temperature of the refrigerant introduced into the heat exchanger or a temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the heat exchanger may be disposed on an inlet side or outlet side of the heat exchanger.
FIG. 33 illustrates a holder to fix a temperature sensor to a refrigerant tube according to the related art. Referring to FIG. 33, according to the related art, a holder 3 is disposed between a refrigerant tube 1 and a temperature sensor 2 to fix the temperature sensor 2 to the refrigerant tube 1. However, as the temperature sensor 2 does not directly contact the refrigerant tube 1, it may be difficult to accurately detect a temperature of the refrigerant flowing in the refrigerant tube 1 by the temperature sensor 2. Also, when the refrigerant tube 1 is a tube of a condenser or an evaporator, hot or cold air around the temperature sensor 2 may act on the temperature sensor 2 to cause a large error between the detected temperature and an actual temperature of the refrigerant.